Akkigavou

Akkigavou are diminutive birds whose appearance can be startling. They are flightless birds, which is reflected in their name, coming from “akkin” and “figi” meaning non and flight respectively. They have flipper-like wings that extend nearly the length of their body that are almost entirely useless aside from swimming. They have little-to-no necks, which aid in getting fish from their large mouths to their digestive system. The birds also climb trees with their feet, using strong knees and flexible ankles to hold themselves on trees in search of insects. Since they cannot fly, they have large expanses of tail feathers to glide down from their perches.

Biology and Behavior

Akkigavou dive for fish throughout the year in both cold and warm seasons , but in the warm season they also venture inland to climb trees in search for insects, as during the warmer season the beaches and waters can be dominated by their main predators, Devtalnu. In the warm season, it has been observed they go so far as to roost in the trees themselves, venturing down for insects and to the shores only when the Devtalnu are visibly less of a threat.
Akkigavou are social creatures, but monogamous in mating. They hunt and roost in large packs, though in trees there is usually only a family per branch or tree if the tree is small. Eggs are laid on the shore during the winter while the Devtalnu are mostly hibernating, and the eggs hatch as it begins to warm, usually in the week before the Devtalnu return to the area in full.

Ecology

Akkigavou are found all across Pale Shores, with various regional and seasonal molts seen that likely have no purpose other than aesthetic divergence across the species over time. They live along the shores, roosting on the sandy beaches of seas themselves in the cold season, and in the trees of the nearby forests and glades in the warmer season. Between the Devtalnu eating sea-based fish in the warm season and the Akkigavou eating them in the cold season, the two species keep the seas’ fish populations under control.

Interaction with Omneuttians

As the species does not consume river-based fish, they do not encounter any Avotoc fishers. They have been at points hunted for their tail feathers, but this practice does not seem to be continued presently.